![The alternative to bending down as the propeller is pulled through the compression stroke is to keep the back straight and bend the knees slightly, stepping away in a crouch. [Credit: LeRoy Cook]](https://www.kitplanes.com/wp-content/uploads/2026/05/IMG_1519-scaled.jpg?w=534&h=462&crop=1 "Manual Starting Methods")
![The newly-restored F-24 enjoying the morning sun. [All Images Credited to Mike Davenport]](https://www.kitplanes.com/wp-content/uploads/2026/05/DSC_0001.jpg?w=265&h=198&crop=1 "Golden Age Revival")
![[Credit: AdobeStock]](https://www.kitplanes.com/wp-content/uploads/2026/03/AdobeStock_176619176.jpg?w=265&h=198&crop=1 "Instructional Inflexibility")
![sideview shows the Better Half with the full VW case. [Credit: Legal Eagle Airplane]](https://www.kitplanes.com/wp-content/uploads/2026/02/Milholland-V-Twin_Side-View.jpg?w=265&h=198&crop=1 "Better Half VW")
Barriers to Entry
Sometimes, when using shorthand in our conversations about Experimental aviation, we use the term “barriers to entry” primarily in the context of money. And...
Defining “Done”
“Kerry, you know your airplane could be flying in two weeks.” That observation, offered by someone qualified to make the assessment, caught me off...
Positive Capture
Aircraft fasteners that are critical almost always have a positive capture design or mechanism.
Primer on Paint
Decisions, decisions. One of the blessings of building an airplane is the ability to dress it up any way you please. However, for those...
Excited About EFBs
Recently, I came across photos of my work in the 1990s, when I was with AOPA Pilot and often moving airplanes from coast to...
Know (You May Be) the Limit
I was in a bad place. I knew the flight might not end well before I took off from the taxiway of an Air...
Check Ride Chalk Talk
I think it is safe to assume that the vast majority of our readers have taken a check ride “practical test” at least once...
Electric Flight From Behind the Wheel
It’s safe to assume few of us have flown via electric power at this point, while some of us have no doubt taken a spin in an electric car.
Droning About the Future
Elsewhere in this issue, we’ve taken a few pages to consider the future of homebuilding, a composite sketch of sorts based on interviews and...
In Case You Missed It
What a Darling(ton) Noisemaker
Mostly we’d like our airplanes to be quiet. Somehow, “airplane” and “quiet” don’t belong...
MGL Infinity Singles
MGL Avionics/Stratomaster has cut a nice swath through the EFIS and discrete-electronic-instrument world. The company’s ALT-1, from its Infinity Singles line, makes a good, low-cost backup altimeter with a surprising list of features. By Marc Cook.
![[Credit: JetStream Rider]](https://www.kitplanes.com/wp-content/uploads/2026/04/AdobeStock_345999332.jpg?w=324&h=160&crop=1 "2026 Avionics and Lights Buyer’s Guide")
2026 Avionics and Lights Buyer’s Guide
The Homebuilt market in 2026 has more choices In avionics and lighting than ever.